August 17, 2004 News Releases
Released 8/13/04 & 8/16/04
UTAH STATE NEWS RELEASE FOR 8-16-04
ALL THE WORLD'S
A STAGE AT UTAH STATE THEATRE, AND YOU CAN BE A PART OF IT!
LOGAN — Utah State Theatre, the production program in
the department of theatre at Utah State University, announces
the 2004-2005 production schedule and audition information.
Utah State Theatre (UST) plans a well-rounded season of live
theatre in the Chase Fine Arts Center (FAC building), where
it calls the mainstage Morgan Theatre home, and at Logan's historical
venue, the Caine Lyric Theatre, in downtown Logan. In addition
to the mainstage season, the department also offers more intimate
productions in the flexible Studio Theatre in FAC room 224.
More specific production information is available throughout
the season.
Open auditions for the 2004-2005 seasons are to be held in September,
said department head Colin Johnson. Audition times and dates
will be announced at a later date. Auditions take place in the
Chase Fine Arts Center on the Utah State campus. For more information
and to include your name on the audition list, call (435) 797-3046.
The fall production of Holes has specific casting needs.
Call (435) 797- 3046 for specific information on this production.
Kicking off UST's season is a special event that includes the
premiere of an original work by the Saratoga International Theatre
Institute (SITI), the Theatre Arts Department and musical group
the Rachel's. The SITI Company, from New York, is setting up
a two-week residency at Utah State. The company, founded by
Ann Bogart, is running workshops and classes and includes a
world premiere of the piece systems/layers, with students
of the theatre department.
The collaborative piece debuts Sept. 16-18. The event is partly
sponsored by the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, the Associated
Students of Utah State University (ASUSU), the College of Humanities
Arts and Social Sciences and the Department of Theatre Arts
at Utah State. The world premiere theatre/dance/music piece
takes its turn on the Morgan Theatre stage.
Batting second in the fall of 2004 is The Laramie Project,
by Moises Kauffman. Inspired by the 2002 HBO movie that explores
hate crimes in rural America, the staged production takes place
Oct. 5-9 in the Caine Lyric Theatre. The play is a drama that
recounts the events of Matthew Shepard’s death in Laramie,
Wyo., and explores the mind-set of the individuals involved.
Kevin Doyle is the director of this modern play.
Holes, by Louis Sachar, is a movie-inspired stage production
next on the schedule. This production is slotted for Oct. 18-23,
and is a work appealing to all audiences, young and old alike.
"If you liked the film by Disney and the best selling book,
well, you definitely have to see it live," said director
Colin Johnson.
Holes also appears on the Morgan Theatre stage. Special
family pricing is available for the production.
The holiday production is next. Hayfever, by Noel Coward,
can be seen on the Morgan Theatre stage Dec. 2-4 and 8-11. A
combination of a farce and comedy of manners, the play is viewed
as one of Coward’s brightest comedies. "Hayfever"
is directed by Adrianne Moore.
The next production on the list is the musical review Jacques
Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. With music
by Jacques Brel, the planned production is a cabaret-type evening,
filled with the feeling of Paris. It includes 20-plus songs
from the more than 300 that Brel wrote in his lifetime. The
musical plays in the Morgan Theatre Feb. 24-26 and March 2-5.
Jacques Brel is directed by Lynda Linford.
The always-popular student directed "One-Acts" return
again in 2005. Students take on scripts and develop one-act
plays that are produced almost exclusively by Utah State theatre
students. Catch these takes March 23-26 in the intimate Studio
Theatre (FAC 224).
The final production is a comedy from William Shakespeare.
Comedy of Errors is directed by Artemis Preeshl, who
plans on adding an interesting twist into the production. The
work is the shortest play (by number of lines) by the playwright,
and it rounds out the Utah State Theatre 2004-2005 season on
the Morgan Theatre stage April 21-23 and 27-30.
In addition to UST's full load of mainstage entertainment, the
department keeps things on the fast track with additional attractions
along the way, Johnson said. He encourages audiences to look
for the department's comedy group "The Improv-uh-bles"
and for the annual Halloween show, not to mention what other
productions pop up along the way.
UST's promotional theme remains All the World's a Stage
this year.
"Cory, our Shakespearean poster boy, will be in all kinds
of new places this season," a public relations spokesperson
said. "Keep an eye out for him all over!"
Curtain time for UST's productions is 7:30 p.m., with matinee
performances at 2 p.m. Tickets for all mainstage productions
are available at the Utah State Smith Spectrum Ticket Office
(435-797-0305) during business hours (9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.),
at the Taggart Student Center Information Desk (9 a.m. to 4:30
p.m.) and at the door on performance evenings. Credit card reservations
are available over the phone.
Prices for adult tickets are yet to be announced. Group rates
are available by calling (435) 797-1500. Utah State students
attend productions free with a valid ID and may claim one ticket
per production one week in advance at the Smith Spectrum Ticket
Office, Taggart Student Center or at the door (subject to availability)
on performance nights. Admission is not general seating; specific
seat assignments are made.
Conservatory Series tickets are available at the door of the
production, with prices to be announced at a later date.
Tickets can also be purchased as a Flex-Pass subscription. A
Flex-Pass contains four coupons exchangeable for any UST mainstage
production, and comes with the option to attend one Conservatory
Series production at a discounted rate. More information can
be found on the Utah State Theatre Web site at www.usu.edu/theatre.
UST's public relations office reminds everyone about ushering
opportunities at performances. Call 797-1500 for details. Special
promotions and audition information will also be posted on the
Web site. Specific production information will be posted there
as the season continues. For a free mailer call (435) 797-3046.
August 16, 2004
Contact: Colin Johnson (435) 797-3045
Jeremy Gordon (435) 797-1500
Writer: Jeremy Gordon
SIDEBAR TO UST
SEASON STORY: UTAH STATE THEATRE TO PRODUCE HOLES BY
LOUIS SACHAR — SPECIAL CASTING NEEDS
LOGAN – Utah State University theatre arts department
head Colin Johnson posed this question for local residents.
"Do you know Holes, Louis Sachar's Newberry Award-winning
children's book and popular Disney movie? Do you also know that
it is also a stage play?"
Holes, the play, will be produced by Utah State's Theatre
Arts Department in October 2004 and Johnson directs. He is looking
for seven or eight young men, ages 14-16, or men who can look
that age, to play the Camp Green Lake boys.
Those familiar with the story know that the characters of X-Ray
and Armpit are African-American, Magnet is Latino and Zero has
a gypsy, or Romani, background from Eastern Europe, Johnson
said.
Also needed are the characters of the toughest kid, Elya, and
the play's main protagonist, Stanley Yelnats.
Parents of young people interested in auditioning for roles
should contact the Theatre Arts Department (Chase FAC, room
232) and professor Johnson at (435) 797-3046 for an interview.
Rehearsals begin in September and the production will be staged
in the Morgan Theatre of the Chase Fine Arts Center Oct. 18-23.
August 16, 2004
Contact: Colin Johnson (435) 797-3045
Jeremy Gordon (435) 797-1500
Writer: Jeremy Gordon
ONGOING CONSTRUCTION
AT UTAH STATE MEANS NEW TRAVEL ROUTES AND PARKING PLACEMENT
LOGAN — As construction continues steadily on the new
recital hall on the east end of campus and the new housing complex
and parking structure at the west end of campus, travel and
parking changes are underway.
In the current stages of construction, the southeast section
of the Fine Arts parking lot will no longer be accessible for
parking, and beginning Friday, Aug. 20, vehicles will no longer
be able to use Champ Drive as a through street from 400 N. to
700 N.
Those entering Champ Drive from 400 N. will still be able to
travel past Family Life, Ray B. West and Old Main, ending up
at the Haight Alumni House turnaround, but will no longer be
able to travel through to 700 N. or Darwin Ave. This will become
a dead-end street, with emergency access to campus only.
The northwest end of Champ Drive will be closed between the
Taggart Student Center and the LDS Institute. The shuttle turnaround
at the northwest end of the student center will still be accessible
and functional, but the road and crosswalk between the two buildings
will be for pedestrian use only. This area will later become
part of the new housing complex, and will be converted to a
pedestrian-friendly courtyard and walkway.
Just below the new housing complex, a parking structure will
be built to accommodate those living in the new residences,
as well as faculty and staff that are A2 permit-holders. There
will also be parking for visitors who may pay by the hour. Access
to the new parking structure will be available from 700 E. or
near the north side of the Haight Alumni House.
According to Lisa Leishman, director of parking and transportation
services, the new structure has been a part of Utah State's
master plan for some time.
"We had always planned on putting a parking structure in
place of the old heating plant because of it's a prime location,"
said Leishman. "Then the addition of the new housing complex
came along, and the additional parking was necessary."
In addition to the new structure, there are also changes occurring
in parking areas at the other end of campus with the addition
of the new recital hall. The hall is replacing approximately
101 parking stalls in the C2 parking lot, west of the Fine Arts
Visual building.
To accommodate for the lost faculty parking, the designation
of the parking lot south of the Nutrition and Food Science (NFS)
building, previously designated for students, has been changed
to allow for both students and faculty.
The east half of the parking lot is dedicated to students and
is only accessible from 700 N. Faculty and staff are allotted
the western half, accessible from 1200 E. only.
Both students and faculty can also use the lot to the north
of the NFS building, which was formerly designated for faculty
use only.
The Recital Hall, a 14-month project, will be complete by fall
semester 2005, but until that time pedestrian traffic will be
re-routed. Those entering or exiting the Nora Eccles Harrison
Museum of Art, the Kent Concert Hall or from the west doors
of the Fine Arts Visual will no longer be able to travel straight
through the parking lot.
Pedestrians must travel either north, toward Rich Hall or south,
toward the engineering building, and around the construction
zone to get to the Taggart Student Center.
With the loss of the approximately 101 stalls, Leishman said
planning is in the works for a new parking structure to be built
next to the recital hall in about 2010, in order to provide
accommodation for those attending events at the recital hall
as well as at the Kent Concert Hall.
"Because so much of the available space on campus is being
covered by buildings, the only way to go is up," said Leishman,
discussing the parking situation on campus.
The parking structure being built in place of the old heating
plant will rise four levels and will have approximately 603
stalls. The entire parking and housing complex will be complete
in 2006, but the bottom two or three levels of the parking structure
will be complete and open for use by summer 2005.
August 16, 2004
Contacts: Lisa Leishman, lisa.leishman@usu.edu, (435) 797-3475
John Fitch, john.fitch@usu.edu, (435) 797-7232
Writer: Tracey Fox, tracey.fox@usu.edu, (435) 797-5506
UTAH STATE NEWS RELEASES FOR 8-13-04
CONNECTIONS
2004 SUMMER LITERATURE EXPERIENCE
LOGAN — Fall semester 2004 is about to begin at Utah
State University and first-year students enrolling in the Connections
course have been asked to read a book before coming to campus.
This "Summer Literature Experience" was created to
immediately bring all Connections students into an intellectual
experience similar to their future activities at Utah State,
according to Noelle Call, director of Utah State's Academic
Resource Center.
Members of the general public, as well as all Utah State students,
faculty and staff can participate in the experience via a Connections
Convocation Aug. 24.
Connections is a course specifically designed to ease freshman
students' transition to Utah State University and to prepare
them for their academic experience. Each fall over half the
freshman class arrive a week early to become familiar with the
university environment, meet faculty members, begin friendships
and participate in many activities.
"By participating in the Summer Literature Experience,
students establish a common experience with other new students
that will help develop a sense of community with their new environment
and introduce them to a part of the academic life they are beginning
at Utah State University," Call said. "Additional
classroom discussions will provide opportunities to discuss
ideas intelligently, confront issues that may affect one personally
and look for ways to find solutions to problems. This program
is an exciting innovation in the Connections program and has
involved central administration, deans, associate deans, faculty
and staff in the planning and support of the literature experience."
For the first Summer Literature Experience, the Connections
committee selected "A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey
from the Inner City to the Ivy League" by Ron Suskind.
"This book was chosen because it explores a student's transition
from high school to the university environment," Call said.
Although the book's main character, Cedric Jennings, was from
an inner city environment and high school and entered a prestigious
Ivy League college, students entering Utah State will be able
to relate to many of the transitional issues he faced, Call
said. Additionally, students will read about an individual who
faced many challenges as a student with potential in a suppressive
inner city school district, and how he was able to rise above
these obstacles to graduate from Brown University.
At Utah State, the classroom discussions will focus on his character,
determination and strategies that made him a success, Call continued.
In addition, students enrolled in English 1010 will use the
book as part of the course writings and discussions.
On Tuesday, Aug. 24, all are invited to attend the Connections
Convocation at 10:30 a.m. in the Kent Concert Hall of the Chase
Fine Arts Center on campus. Guest speaker is the central character
of "The Hope in the Unseen," Cedric Jennings. He will
speak about his experiences, focusing on how he was able to
achieve at a high academic level despite the obstacles he faced.
After the presentation, Jennings will be available for questions.
He will also speak to students attending Utah State’s
Fall Leadership Academy.
For more information about Connections, contact Call at (435)
797-1194.
August 13, 2004
Contact: Noelle Call (435) 797-1194
Writer: Patrick Williams (435) 797-1354
UTAH STATE
ENGINEERING BUILDS UP ENGINEERING PROGRAM
LOGAN — A new department name in the College of Engineering
reflects Utah State University's emphasis on graduating more
engineers.
The Department of Industrial Technology and Education is being
renamed the Department of Engineering and Technology Education,
said H. Scott Hinton, dean of the college.
He said engineers create the new technologies and services that
drive the economy, and universities are not graduating enough
engineers to meet the demands of the marketplace.
"This shortage of engineers in Utah is the driving force
behind the Governor's Initiative on Engineering and Computer
Science that the Utah Legislature has supported for the past
four years," said Hinton. "We have realized the need
for improving engineering education, and we decided to become
a leader in this revolution."
To help meet the demand, the College of Engineering is starting
a program that will improve the retention of freshman and sophomore
students, improve the K-12 preparation of potential engineering
students, and start a research effort in engineering education.
A few other major universities across the country, including
Purdue University and Virginia Tech, have also realized the
need and have created similar departments.
"In order to produce more qualified engineers, engineering
colleges across the country have been put in a position where
they need to find new ways to teach and train a wider range
of diverse students who do not fit the old nerdy stereotypes,"
said Hinton.
A second focus of the new Department of Engineering and Technology
will be to continue the highly successful program of preparing
technology education teachers. Students graduating from the
program will have more training in engineering concepts in addition
to the technology, trade and technical education aspects that
were traditionally taught. The department will also still include
the aviation program under its wing.
Utah State's latest addition, the National Center for Engineering
and Technology Education is funded by the National Science Foundation
and is also housed in the department. The center links four
research universities with five technology teacher education
institutions, fifteen K-12 school districts and three education-related
societies to develop a community of university and K-12 educators
who can engage significant numbers of students effectively in
learning engineering and technology concepts.
"It is the technology education teachers in our high schools
and middle schools that are grooming our children and teenagers
to move into technology and engineering when they get older,"
said Hinton. "These teachers are critical to our future."
"We can't teach engineering the way we used to teach it,"
said Chris Hailey, associate dean of the College of Engineering.
"We can’t just throw facts on a blackboard and expect
students to put the rest together. We have to create learning
environments that are friendly and helpful to learners who have
walked away from engineering in the past, traditionally women,
Native Americans, Hispanics and African Americans."
"By creating better engineering teachers we create more
engineers," said Maurice Thomas, Engineering and Technology
Education department head. "The earlier students feel comfortable
with the engineering and science, the more likely they may want
to pursue it in a university setting."
For more information on the Department of Engineering and Technology
Education and the College of Engineering visit, http://www.engineering.usu.edu/.
August 12, 2004
Contact: Scott Hinton (435) 797-2775, Maurice Thomas (435) 797-1795
Writer: Maren Cartwright (435) 797-1355
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